


First-Time Dad

by Euria



Series: Moon Children [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26109952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Euria/pseuds/Euria
Summary: Rayla calls Ethari "daddy" for the first time. Ethari doesn't know how to handle the delicate situation but then he decides.With Runaan the situation is slightly different, so Rayla decides to ask first, before just calling him "dad". What will he answer?How both of them will handle the whole situation?
Relationships: Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince), The last two will be only mentioned
Series: Moon Children [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895752
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71





	1. First-Time Dad: Ethari

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language so please be patient. If you find errors, I would be grateful for your help. Also, dear Fans please don't kill me if you find something you dislike. This is a Fan Fiction and is doesn’t need to be properly canon.

“Can you please fix this, daddy?”, she placed a small wooden box on his crafting bench. The metal hinges loosened and now the lid was about to fall off.

“But of cour...WAIT? WHAT?”, he didn't expect that. It was over a year since Tiadrin and Lain joined the Dragonguard and left their only daughter under Runaans and his care. She was just four years old back then. Of course, she knew that they were her parent’s friends. Both couples often visited each other.

She jumped back and was now looking at him with big, sad eyes. For a second, she seemed to consider something and then started to apologize panicky: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don't be mad at me!”

“Rayla, sweety. Calm down, I am not mad at you. I could never, ever be mad at you.” He put her on his lap and hugged her tightly. The last thing he wanted is to make her cry. She had enough worries. Ethari could still remember the day Runaan brought her home. She tried to be brave, but she was just a little girl - she still is - whose parents told her that they need to leave, that they have a duty and that they will be gone for a long time. They couldn't even visit them.

"It's just...you know...you already have a daddy and a mommy." This was not really encouraging. They were not here with her, they were gone, alive but far away. Ethari stroked her head lovingly and hoped that this would help her somehow. To be honest he was as desperate as this little girl on his lap. He saw how she everyday looked at the entrance of Silvergrove hoping to see her parents coming back home. But, of course, they never did. It wasn't uncommon for the Moonshadow elves to grow up without their parents. This was one of the greatest risks at being an assassin - Death was your constant companion. But then again, Rayla's parents were alive. It was impossible for her to move on. And he was happy about that somehow, because he of course wished for his friends to stay alive and come back home one day. Only that all of this wasn't easy at all!

“B...but...they're not here!”, she started crying.

“Oh no, please don't cry. What would you say if I got Runaan to make you pancakes, hmm? With Moonberrys.” He tried; he really tried his best. But she didn't stop. This was just heart breaking. He hated to see children like that - sad and broken, when they learned that their parents won’t come back. Rayla at least still could hope, but it was still so very unfair. And then he decided. Runaan will be probably unhappy with him and he didn't like that idea, but they were responsible for Rayla and he wanted to ensure the best care possible. “You know what, you can call me daddy if you wish to. I already love you like you were my own daughter.”

“R…really?”, she sniffed. With her little hands she clung to his coat, looking at him hopeful.

“Yes, really!”, he reassured her with a bright smile on his face.

Rayla squealed happily. She stood up on his knees to reach his neck to hug him and give him a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, daddy! I love you, too!”

Ethari was never before so proud of himself. Alright, maybe he was - On his wedding day. But now he needed to confess his husband what he just did. Suddenly worry washed over him. What if Runaan will get not only a little upset but actually furious? What if he demands Rayla to stop calling me daddy? Maybe I just made things worse. For all of us.


	2. First-Time Dad: Runaan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethari has too much work to take care of Rayla. For this day it will be Runaan's tasks. Only that the assassin doesn’t really know how to do it right, what leads to a small chaos. Also Rayla asks him that one important question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter was very short and - I admit it - dry. But I just couldn't go on full fluff. This is just too serious of a topic. This one is longer and with more content.

He had work to do, much work, too much work! Ethari started to believe that all assassins had agreed on breaking their weapons at the same time. There was no other logical explanation to this disaster! It started two days ago. Every five minutes one of them would come to him with the same request, to repair their weapon. He had no other choice as to schoo out both Rayla and Runaan. His husband looked at him baffled but didn't protest in any way. And for that Ethari was grateful. He was already tired and slightly annoyed. Actually, he intended to speak with Runaan about something particularly important, but he forgot what it was about. He tried to remember, but then another assassin came to him. She was looking at him apologetically. This will be a long day, he knew it.

Runaan and Rayla were standing nearby, but when the door closed with much more force than they were used to from Ethari, they knew it would be better not to disturb him. “Well, it seems I am in charge of you today.” he said. And that was something new. Of course, he was already teaching her how to become an assassin, but he never cared for her the whole day long. That was something Ethari did happily and he himself could concentrate on the more pragmatic tasks. On top of that, today was a training free day. This was something his husband forced him to do, since Rayla was too young in his opinion to train daily. Forced – that’s a wrong term here. Ethari just asked and Runaan agreed. He was not good at telling his husband "no", especially when said husband kissed his forehead every damn time, he agreed to something. At the beginning he believed it to be just coincidence, but now he was quite sure Ethari was making this on purpose. He still couldn't say "no".

“So…does that mean I need to train today?” she asked.

He considered it for a moment, but he didn't want to be meet with the possible consequences. Ethari was already stressed out. “No. A free day is a free day.” he said.

Rayla eyed him suspiciously, “But you are always training.”

“Do you believe I am training from morning till evening?”

“And during sleep time! You are always training.” She stated this so proudly, as if this were rare knowledge only few know about and she belonged to the selected ones.

He really needed all of his strength to suppress the big smile that tried to creep on to his face. Of course, all of this was wrong, but he liked the way she saw him. After all he was one of the best assassins and that not without a reason. “Well, today we will take a break. Both of us.”

“Oh! Does that mean we're going to play together? Maybe hide and seek?” Excited she began to jump around him, holding her hands high above her head towards the sky.

“No.” He doesn't play, so much was sure.

She stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh. Alright” she said sadly.

The disappointment was real and struck him hard. And he really didn't want that, so he needed to think fast. Runaan looked around them to make sure no one could hear him “But there is a place where you'll make tons of new friends and have lots of fun. It's the Moonshadow meadow.”

Her mood lifter immediately. “Is this a secret place?”

“Well, yes and no.” Everyone knew the place, but only Ethari knew that he knew where it was. And even in front of his husband he pretended to not be affected in any way by the creatures living there. That he liked them was the real secret.

Rayla wrinkled her nose “I don't get it.”

“You don’t need to. Just let’s go or do you prefer to stay here and wait till Ethari opens the door again? “

“No! I'm coming”

“Good.” He turned and started walking.

It was quite a bit of a walk, but Rayla wasn't complaining. The little girl was too excited, not only for the new place but also because she could spend a whole day with Runaan. Normally she would play alone in her room or go for a walk with Ethari. If the Blacksmith has more time, he plays with her, but that was rare. He was not only crafting weapons but also jewelry and so had always something to do. Runaan on the other hand was only training her and she wished for a long time just to play with him. Although he said they weren't going to play, but she was certain she could make him do it.

“This is the place. If you want to know what's so special about it, you need to put your hands into the grass.” The elven assassin didn't want to admit it, but he was very eager to see Rayla’s reaction. He still could remember when his mother sat him down amidst the meadow for the first time. Before he could dive into the memories, he heard Rayla shriek. This was unexpected, he was sure the child would love the little creatures.

“RUNAAAAAN!”

“Rayla? What's wrong? Did something bite you?” Oh Avizandum, let her be alright or her parents and Ethari are going to kill me.

“They… they so tiny and fluffy and so many. They stick to everything and can be stacked. What are those?”

Now he was confused. She did love them. So why was she screaming? Was this normal? Is this something little children do or just Rayla? Never mind. “So…you do like them?”

“I love them!”

“I'm glad for you.” he exhaled. “And those little ones are the Adoraburrs. We the Moonshadow elves are friends with them since many generations.” He considered then added “But I don't like them that much. They are...well...useless.”

“But they are cute. How can you not like them?”

“Don't think about it too much, just go and have fun. I will be sitting right here on this rock and check my weapons.” The last thing he wanted was to add even more work to the pile of weapons Ethari needed to repair.

After an hour or more he was finally done and sure that everything was still in perfect condition. And Rayla was quietly playing with the Adoraburrs, too. It was way easier to watch over a child than he thought. He couldn't understand why everyone were telling them that it would be quite an adventure. Or that children are little troublemakers. Some even called them tiny monsters. He chuckled and shook his head.

“Rayla, it's time to go home.” No answer. “Rayla?” He looked across the meadow but saw no one. “Rayla! Rayla, where are you!” The assassin spent the next two hours in searching for the girl, but she disappeared without a trace. Runaan started to question his skills. He should be able to find a single child easily. “Rayla! This isn't funny, come out!” Panic started to dwell in him. Was there anything else living here besides the Adoraburrs? Has she been eaten? “RAYLA!”

Then he heard it, the quiet snore. He ran in that direction as fast as he could. There she was, lying on the soft grass, covered in Adoraburrs, and soundly sleeping. “Rayla.” he said with great relief. “I could feel my blood freeze.” Alright maybe it wasn't that easy to keep an eye on a child as he believed. He looked down at her and decided to wait until she wakes up.

After a few moments five Adoraburrs somehow found their way to Runaan. One even jumped on his left shoulder. He couldn't resist and scratched the wee fuzzy ball, they were just...well, adorable.

When Rayla finally opened her eyes the first thing what she saw was Runaan happily playing with some Adoraburrs. "So, you DO like them!", a cheeky smile on her face.

He stopped moving, mortified. “N…no. Not at all. You were sleeping and I did not want to wake you up. Some of them jumped on me on their own. It would be rude to just push them down.” he didn't look convincing. “This wouldn't have happened if I didn't lose you!” he snapped and regretted it directly.

“You lost me?”

“Well...I... ah...you know...” he was so done for it.

“Can I take some of the Adoraburrs home?”

“What? Of course not.”

“Not even if I promise not to tell anyone that you lost me or that you like Adoraburrs?” she grinned.

He was shocked. "Are you blackmailing me?"

She squinted her eyes while thinking “I don't know that word.”.

“It means that if I don't allow you to take the Adoraburrs back home that you will tell everyone that I not only lost you, but also that I like those fur balls.” Why was he explaining it to her?

“Then yes I am giving you a black thingy.” she stated seriously.

“"Great, a five years old is terrorizing a grown up assassin and that with success. I was wrong. Children really are tiny monsters." They both laughed.

Yet again they were walking in silence side by side. Runaan adjusted his pace to that of Rayla. This time he watched her closely out of fear she could wander off. Rayla's full attention was attached to the three Adoraburrs she currently was carrying. Then, all at once she looked up at him. Concerned, scared even.

“Runaan?”

“Yes, Rayla?” She had his full attention.

“May I call you dad?”

He stopped. Her question made him sad because he knew why she was asking. Tiadrin and Lain will be absent for years. When those two return Rayla will be already a teenager. Till then she must live without parents, unless "Are you sure?"

Her eyes widened. It was clear she expected a different reaction. Finally, she said “Yes.”

“You know I'm stern?”

“That's alright.”

“Then it's decided. But never try to blackmail me again, especially not with Adoraburrs.” He demanded.

“Does that mean I can't take those three back home?”

“We are already too far away from their home. Take those, hide them from Ethari and we will bring them back some other day.” They were really to far away. It was not because he liked the Adoraburrs. Not at all. “Now come on and let us hope Ethari will open the door again.”

But will Ethari be alright with all of that? He just decided without consulting his husband first. Hopefully, he won't be sad about Rayla calling only one of them dad. Maybe he can convince her to call Ethari dad, too. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?


	3. First-Time Dads: Ethari and Runaan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for some confessions, but not without a lot of chaos beforehand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this story, but just the beginning of the collection. I want to thank you all for you kudos. It seems this isn't that terrible after all. (I still need more practice, of course.) Feel free to write me if you discover something terribly off or just for fun. I would be happy.

The twelve-foot-tall, wooden double door seemed way too heavy for a child to open. Dark brown, almost black, with carvings displaying fauna and flora, common only for the Moonshadow forest, they seemed to harbor unknown, yet forbidden secrets. But never judge a book by its cover. A light touch could push them apart with ease and what seemed to be a piece of art caused the inhabitants nightmares. Really, nobody liked them and only the lack of time or good opportunity kept those safe in place. Rayla wrinkled her nose. ‘I could set them on fire.’ she thought. But that was not the mission, not yet. The task at hand would be to retrieve a tiny, fluffy, red Adoraburr, which escaped during night. So far, she searched everywhere, without success. Ethari's and Runaan's bedroom was the only one left.

She touched the doors varnished surface and instantly wished to withdraw her hand, but instead pressed them open. It was important to find the creature before Ethari. Thankfully, the monstrosity of a gateway opened nearly soundless - at least silent enough to not be noticed by Runaan. On her tiptoes she dared to make only two steps into the room. Like all the Moonshadow elves chambers it was big, with high ceiling and large windows. The most noticeable difference would be the bed. Usually the frame was made out of wood, preferably painted white. Yet the structure in front of her clearly consisted iron - a Blacksmith's handy work. Carefully put together, piece by piece, now the shape resembles a boat, only rounder allowing space for movement. In conclusion: a fall out of the bed, followed by possible cursing, never occurred. Sadly, this meant that Rayla couldn't climb on it; at least not without making lots of noise.

“Where are you, little Adoraburr? Come out, come out.”, she whispered. Of course, she received no answer, however a small red spot drew her attention. The girl covered her mouth with the right hand, her eyes growing bigger and bigger: “Oh, no.” The miniature runaway slept comfortably in no other hair than that of the assassin himself. “How am I supposed to get you now?” She was left with only two options: go back to her own room and wait for the disaster or to be a part of the disaster right away. And so, she made a run and jumped.

She landed on her stomach halfway to the top and needed to hold onto the bed cover to climb up. At some point she grabbed Ethari’s leg. This startled the man: "W...what! What's going on?"

“Help me!”, she shouted.

Ethari grabbed her shortly before falling to the ground and sat the girl on his lap. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, seeing the sun rays only shyly touching the horizon. Next to him his love huffed dissatisfied: “Why are you so loud?”

The smith laughed: “Good morning, to you too.” He loved to see Runaan like this, not quite awake and tangled up in his long hair. The other just grumbled and turned around, showing his back to the pair of troublemakers. And then Ethari saw it: “And who are you, little one?”

Runaan's eyes opened wide and his right fist clung strongly to the covers. Before someone could say something else, he sat up with such a force that the petite animal flew out of the room and dropped on the hallway floor. Rayla started screaming and wriggled out of Ethari’s arms, forgetting how high the bed was, resulting in her ungraceful fall onto the ground. She started crying, rubbing her now bruised chin. “We will have a talk after this, husband.”, said Ethari, first picking up the still weeping girl and then the Adoraburr on his way to the kitchen.

The said husband saw after them with even bigger eyes then before and a slightly open mouth - some of his hair strands hung in his face, but he didn't care to brush them off. When he finally moved, the sun already left the horizon and wandered into the open sky. Grabbing his robe and pulling it only loosely over his shoulders he run to the kitchen. Just before the entrance he stopped, now jumping from foot to foot unsure as what to do or say when entering. “Come in.”, he heard and so he went in. It always amazed him, that Ethari knew that he was approaching. He was the hit man, but somehow, he couldn't sneak up on his own partner.

In the kitchen Rayla still covered her chin and wasn’t crying anymore but gawked instead angrily at Runaan. He received the same annoyed stare from the other two. The bigger elf cleared his throat: “She told me everything.”

Runaan rubbed his hands, now stubbornly studying the swirl patterns on the floor. “Everything?” Why were there literal swirl patterns on the tiles? He knew Ethari added them to his masterpieces, but this was neither weapon nor jewelry.

“Yes, everything. How could you lose her and that on the Moonshadow meadow? You are always so scrupulous I thought I could leave a child for a single day with you. Is there more I don't know? Did something like that already happened before?” Ethari drummed with his fingers - using both hands - on the table, the rest of his muscles immobile from tension. He faced the wall behind Rayla, avoiding looking at the smaller elf.

Time passed, a few seconds or minutes, he didn't know, but he finally found the strength to answer: “No. This was the first time. I... I was being careless, I admit it. During trainings all my attention is on her, I swear! But I thought that when she plays...this...wouldn't be necessary. I was wrong! She focused so much on the Adoraburrs that when got tired she just.... did that...fall asleep right on the spot.” After a pause he added, still rubbing his hands: “I am so sorry.”

The silence filled the room - grew, stretched, just got bigger and heavier. Runaan still looked down and Ethari on the wall; neither of them moving. They seemed paralyzed by the fact that they indeed were having a quarrel. Rayla felt that, too. The elf girl stood up on the table and with puffed cheeks screamed: “I love you both and you are both my daddies!”

They both jerked their heads in her direction. “So, stop fighting. It makes me sad.”, she added. Ethari hugged her tightly: "I’m sorry, sweety. That wasn't my intention. But say, you just called us both daddies, does that mean you already named Runaan before that one, too?” She nodded: “When we were going home from the meadow. I asked.” So, in fact she hadn't told him everything.

He attempted to glance at his husband but decided otherwise and instead just asked: "And? Are you fine with that?" Then he couldn't stand it anymore and looked over the others posture instantly breaking out in laughter. Since Runaan's eyes couldn't possibly grow any wider, he just stood there titling his head to one side. “Did you saw yourself?”

The slender man touched his face with the fingertips of his left hand, first believing something might had stuck on it. Finding nothing he bowed down to inspect his body. He was still in his nightgown, but so was Ethari and Rayla. Then he slowly began to notice it. His robe slid to his elbow on the right side, on the left side the lower corner got caught up in the sleeve. Already with scarlet red face he shuffled to the fireplace and took the polished pan from its hook above. A strange surprised noise escaped his throat, which couldn’t be described. This on itself was comically enough to make now Rayla giggle, too. To his misery he indeed was an image of an messed up idiot. His hair hung in his face and wrapped around his horns, creating something similar to a spider web. It also draped itself around his arms and through the sleeve of his gown. “How am I supposed to free myself from this?”

“Well, if you ask nicely, we might be helping you, right Rayla?”

“The Adoraburrs can help, too!”, she squealed and hugged Ethari yet again.

He was baffled: “There more than one?”

“Three.”, said Runaan. “She blackmailed me into taking them.”

Now it was Ethari's turn to grow big eyes.

After a while, all three were sitting cross legged on a pile of pillows. Runaan clung to his coat and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt not to whimper. “It's your own fault! How many times did I said that you should at least loosely tie your hair before bed?” Ethari scolded him over and over again. But this was indeed a fiasco! Doing their best Rayla and he fought against the seemingly alive hair, but it just did not want to be untangled. They often needed to forcefully yank at them. It hurt; they knew it. “Rayla, bring some water in a bowl. It will be easier if we make the hair a bit wet.”, he said.

“Alright!” As soon as she disappeared Ethari turned his attention back to Runaan: “You know, I'm still mad at you. They entrusted her to us.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He tugged at his coat and managed to free the corner from the sleeve now that some of the hair got out of the way.

“And by the way, I know that you love the Adoraburrs. No matter how much you decline, I am your husband and you can’t hide it from me, love.” Ethari planted a feather light kiss to Runaans neck, earning a pleasant shiver from him. In fact, his anger had already faded. The smaller elf was punished enough with this treatment and it will be hours, till they finally will manage to get all of his hair free. But he wanted him to remember the lesson and never make such a mistake again. Rayla was only five years old!

“And the last thing?” asked Runaan.

“What do you mean?”

“The way she wishes to call us. The way...she is willing to see us.” The words got quieter and quieter, finally becoming a whisper.

“Well, you agreed and me too. I admit I was worried because of what you might be thinking or Tiadrin and Lain, but - as I said - you agreed and those two will be away for years. Rayla deserves a family. We are surely not prepared for this, but who really is? We will make much more mistakes, but please refrain from losing her ever again. Promise?” Saying this he poked his index fingers to Runaan's sides, just below the ribs.

The man jumped and straightened up immediately: “Ethari, that hurts!”

“I know. Promise?” he repeated the gesture.

“Au, au...I promise, I promise...just stop it!” Now massaging his sides, the elven assassin thought about a way to escape this whole situation, but he knew that he will be never able to untangle his hair on his own - that and he was scared to be poked again.

Just in that moment Rayla came back with the bowl of water. She saw Runaan's grumpy face: "Are you two still fighting?"

“Oh no, sweetie! I was just teaching your daddy a little lesson, that's all.” said Ethari with a bright smile.

“You might be the kindest elf in whole Silvergrove, but sometimes you scare me.” replied the smaller one and Rayla nodded in agreement. But then she realized: “Daddy? So...so I may? I may?” She was about to cry. After this unlucky morning, she wasn't any more so sure if those two were still willing to accept her as their daughter.

"But of course." Saying this Runaan opened his arms inviting her into a hug. She practically throwed herself at him, earning a rare chuckle from the man. Ethari sitting behind his husband just took them both into a hug, not wanting to be excluded from this: “We still need to untangle your hair, honey.”

“I'm seriously thinking about cutting them off.” he replied.

“Not allowed.”

Runaan huffed but was still smiling: “This will be a painful day.”

Rayla laughed. She was incredibly happy and what was much more important, she was home.


End file.
